DAYTON — Ohio drivers are paying, on average, $4.86 for a gallon of gas, that’s according to AAA.
News Center 7’s Nick Foley talked with Gas Buddy Analyst Patrick De Hann to find out when prices could drop.
Melanie Harris said, “Prices are going up. Food is going up. It’s getting hard that you have to maintain your bills.”
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Like so many of us, Harris is frustrated with gas prices hovering near the $5 mark. While we have seen a little relief the last few days, the situation is still historically high, and gas expert Patrick De Hann said for consumers in the Midwest, the big overnight spike last week had much more to do with some large refinery issues in Indiana than the war with Iran.
“The refining issues are what caused basically the .81 cent a gallon jump in Dayton over the last week. Now, some of that was oil prices going up by 10% last week, but I would say 80% improves, that’s going to push back a lot, even if that’s 20% side of the equation worsens,” De Hann said.
He also said he believes if the landscape remains the same, we will see prices come down a few cents here and there daily, but he also cautions that just because the refinery issues have been resolved, the situation in the Middle East continues to be a huge question mark.
“If the Strait finally reopens this summer, or, I should say, finally reopens ASAP, gas prices in Ohio could fall back below the $4 mark for summer. If the Strait doesn’t reopen, we could be seeing gas prices flirt with $5 or even $6 this summer,” De Hann said.
The good news, if any, according to De Hann, is that the more expensive summer blend gas prices have already been built into the current gas prices we’re seeing.
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